PH01107 Atheism, secularism, humanism

Faculty of Arts
Autumn 2016
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 3 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).
Teacher(s)
PhDr. Tomáš Hříbek, Ph.D. (lecturer), Ing. Mgr. Zdeňka Jastrzembská, Ph.D. (deputy)
Guaranteed by
prof. PhDr. Josef Krob, CSc.
Department of Philosophy – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Hana Holmanová
Supplier department: Department of Philosophy – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
each even Thursday 10:50–12:25 B2.13
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 50 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/50, only registered: 0/50, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/50
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 9 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
Students will be able to answer not only general philosophical questions (“Can morality have secular grounds?” or “What are the scope and limits of religious freedom?”), but also to address the controversial issues of everyday debate (“Is there a place in the secular state for blasphemy laws?”, “May the state limit the right of parents to provide their children with religious education?”, or “Do Muslim women have a right to cover themselves in the public?”).
Syllabus
  • 22/09: “New Atheism” and Its Critics Dawkins, The God Delusion, chapter 2 and 8. 06/10: Religious Freedom in the Secular State Blackford, Freedom of Religion and the Secular State, chapter 3 and 4. 20/10: Religious Freedom (cont.) Blackford, chapter 5, 6 and 7. 03/11: Religious Freedom (conc.) Blackford, chapter 8 and 9. 01/12: Secular Humanism Kitcher, Life after Faith, chapter 1 and 3. 15/12: Secular Humanism (conc.) Kitcher, chapter 4 and 5.
Literature
    required literature
  • Freedom of religion and the secular state. Edited by Russell Blackford. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell, 2011, 209 p. ISBN 9781118153291. info
  • DAWKINS, Richard. Boží blud : přináší náboženství útěchu, nebo bolest? Translated by Zuzana Gabajová. Vyd. 1. Praha: Academia, 2009, 477 s. ISBN 9788020016980. info
  • DAWKINS, Richard. The God Delusion. Boston: Mariner Books, 2008. info
Teaching methods
The instruction combines lectures using PowerPoint to summarize the key points of the texts, and class discussion.
Assessment methods
The attendance and readings are mandatory in order to be able to participate in class discussions. The exam involves a multiple-choice test of roughly 30 questions.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught only once.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
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